


forest fire

by rattlethatlock



Series: Enlight Writes MCU [2]
Category: Black Panther (2018), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Fluff, M/M, Post-Black Panther (2018), Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Pre-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Wakanda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-29
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-04-29 15:31:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14475687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rattlethatlock/pseuds/rattlethatlock
Summary: They decide not to speak, quite early on. It’s their god knows how manyth meeting, and the decision hasn’t changed.





	forest fire

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nazliy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nazliy/gifts).



> okay, this is uncharted territory for me. i'm not exactly in mcu fandom, i haven't even watched black panther and infinity war -- but for my dearest beta, who has the softest spot for these two, i'd write anything. 
> 
> here's the song that the title comes from: [forest fire by brighton](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBqzXYcSdns).

They decide not to speak, quite early on. It’s their god knows how manyth meeting, and the decision hasn’t changed. They just sit next to each other silently, observe the nature surrounding them: Green trees covering for them, the green pond in front of them, water lilies on the pond, occasional frog noises — it’s serene, and it’s calm, and it’s perfect. They _need_ the serenity in their lives, after all the things they’ve been through, after all the trials and tests.

They’re here, two survivors, two broken men trying to pick up the parts of the other that fall apart. Bucky still finds himself amazed at the skinny kid from Brooklyn that got into too many fights is there to get into more fights, but not so skinny anymore. He’s supposed to be used to it by now, they’ve fought together, they’ve saved each other’s lives far too many times to be surprised — but still… _He should’ve never gotten into any of this._ What ‘this’ defines, he’s not sure. That he never should’ve saved him? That he never should’ve never came after him years ago? That he should’ve never been a part of an experiment, treated as a lab rat without a care for his life? Maybe none, maybe all.

But Steve doesn’t seem to regret any of his choices. Sure, he seems ragged and tired, tired of carrying all the weight of the world on his shoulders; along with an unreasonable amount of unreasonable guilt. Yet, the determined look in his blue eyes has never changed throughout the years, despite being let down, disappointed, betrayed and frozen. If it’s not the definition of true strength, Bucky doesn’t know what it is, or if it exists.

Their hands brush, and they stare at the sky above them, together. Clouds coming and going with the wind, the sun hiding behind them and reappearing: All natural, all calm, none of them rushing. After all the years of being apart, staring at the same skies without even noticing, or with eyes that did not belong to them, they enjoy these stolen moments — stolen from the world that desperately needs heroes, _heroes —_ whatever that means.

World, in Bucky’s opinion, always needs saving. Bad guys out there, just with new names and means. Motives stay the same, to-do lists stay the same, and maybe the people to oppose them stay the same as well. Sure, they get tired. Sure, they sometimes think the world doesn’t deserve them. Yet, they’re still there _in case of emergencies_ ,even though nobody wants their help apparently.

He’s no hero, he knows that for certain. In the best of scenarios, he could’ve been called a victim instead of a villain. But the guy sitting right next to him, the guy that sacrificed his own life, his dreams, his hopes — his _everything —_ for the people who would one day turn their backs on him, call him an outlaw and ask for his head… It boils his blood in his veins, and he does whatever he always does to calm himself down: Hold Steve’s hand, and kiss him, just because he can, and just because Steve lets him.

It’s their haven, this forgotten corner in a hidden country. The pond that teases them, water almost catching up to them with the wind, and retreating; birds above them singing the songs of nature, or telling each other they’re down-to-fuck — as long as it sounds good, Bucky has no complaints. He’s okay with the chirping birds, he’s okay with the whistling trees, because Steve’s okay with them, and it’s no doubt whistling trees are always preferable to whistling bullets out for their blood.

The world will _always_ need saving, the bad guys will _always_ be there, the good guys will _always_ defeat them — what the songs, poems and the stories don’t mention is how tiring this simple routine is. Evade skyscrapers falling on you, escape from death’s cold grip only by milliseconds, try to protect the ones you love — incidentally, the ones you love are trying to do the same thing and the bullets keep ricocheting, hitting one of you eventually. Both, if you’re that lucky. And lose sleep over the mistakes you’ve made, things you’ll never be able to make up for, spend nights praying for the day that an unbeatable villain never comes.

He promises himself that he’ll ask what Steve thinks about all these one day. If he’s still drawing. If things will ever get back to normal. _If we’ll ever heal._ But right now? None of it matters. Villains, heroes, rules, laws — none of it matters. All it matters is right here, right now, them together away from everything and everyone, inhaling each other’s breaths, memorising all the lines the time brings. They’ll walk away from all the responsibilities one day. But until that day, _this is enough._

**Author's Note:**

> hope you like it! let me know what you think in comments below, and kudos are always welcome <3


End file.
